خوانش روایی رویداد تاریخی «بردار کردن حسنک وزیر» براساس نظریۀ دیوید هرمن

The history of Beyhaqi, as one of the unique literary historical works, has always captured the researchers’ attention due to its special narrative features. Abolfazl Beyhaqi has broken the boundaries of history, story and narration by using special methods of narration in his work and has created a distinct literary work out of historical events. In this essay, we analyzed different angles of the historical event of "execution of Hasanak" with the analytical-descriptive method, the narratology approach and adopting David Herman's theory. In his theoretical foundation, Herman introduces four levels of situatedness, event sequencing, worldmaking/world disruption, and what-it’s-like to analyze the structure that leads to narrative. The analysis of Beyhaghi's narration of this event shows that he has used different methods from other historians of this period at every level and was able to distance himself from the level of reporting and approach the level of creation. At the level of situatedness, Beyhaghi appears with different faces in the narration and with interactive techniques and multiple positions, he takes the text out of the monotony of reporting. At the level of the event sequencing, we also see a specific narrative process that has a teleological determination and distances the text from the state of mere reporting. In the third level of narration, Bayhaghi has created his narrative world by combining main and secondary events, which ultimately leads to creating a sense of empathy in the audience. 
Extended Abstract
Introduction
The narrative of “The Execution of Hasanak the Vizier” in The History of Beyhaqi is one of the most distinguished examples of Persian historical prose, in which Beyhaqi combines historical accuracy with literary artistry to create a complex, polyphonic, and ethically charged narrative. This section is not merely a political chronicle but a profound reflection on human action in the face of power, destiny, and moral judgment. In Beyhaqi’s writing, history transcends the mere recording of facts and transforms into a literary and interpretive discourse where narrative becomes a means of understanding truth and moral experience. Through his unique language and structure, Beyhaqi invites readers to experience history internally rather than view it as a distant external event. Thus, the story of Hasanak’s execution can be regarded as a remarkable instance of the intersection between historiography and narrativity in classical Persian prose.
 
Methodology
This study adopts a descriptive–analytical and qualitative–interpretive approach. The corpus of research is The History of Beyhaqi, with the selected sample being the episode of “The Execution of Hasanak the Vizier.” First, the theoretical framework of Herman’s four-level model was elaborated, and then the Beyhaqi text was analyzed line by line in accordance with these criteria. The analysis focuses on identifying the mechanisms of narrativity, exploring the representation of truth within a historical text, and revealing how Beyhaqi transforms historical documentation into a narrative performance. All data are textual and are examined at linguistic, structural, and semantic levels.
 
Statement and Findings
The central problem of this study is whether Beyhaqi’s account of Hasanak’s execution possesses the narrative characteristics defined in modern narratology and to what extent it transcends the boundaries of mere historical reporting. To answer this question, the research draws upon David Herman’s theory of narrative, which conceptualizes narrativity through four fundamental dimensions:
1. Situatedness, referring to the embedding of narrative within its social and discursive context;
2. Event Sequencing, concerning the temporal and causal organization of events;
3. World Creation, the process of constructing an imagined narrative world; and
4. Embeddedness, the degree of readerly engagement and empathy generated by the narrative.
A comparative analysis of Beyhaqi’s text with these four levels reveals that, at the first level, Beyhaqi’s tone, diction, and point of view construct a vivid and morally charged representation of time and space. His detailed prose not only documents reality but also conveys ethical reflection and emotional resonance. At the level of event sequencing, Beyhaqi skillfully employs digressions, flashbacks, and suspense to replace chronological order with narrative dynamism, thereby emphasizing motivation and consequence over mere chronology.
In terms of world creation, Beyhaqi’s use of dialogue, characterization, and detailed description constructs a living and multilayered world in which politics, morality, and fate are intertwined. Hasanak emerges not only as a victim of political conspiracy but as a symbol of human struggle against historical determinism, while Busehl Zuzani personifies moral corruption and deceit within the realm of power.
At the level of embeddedness, Beyhaqi’s tone of honesty and compassion elicits deep empathy in the reader. The narrator’s reflective voice turns the execution scene into a moral meditation rather than a simple historical episode. Hence, Beyhaqi’s narrative becomes both an external representation of a historical event and an internalized experience of human tragedy.
The findings demonstrate that Beyhaqi consciously employs narrative strategies to reframe historical truth within a literary and interpretive structure, thereby transforming his chronicle into a meaningful act of storytelling that dissolves the boundary between objectivity and imagination.
 
Conclusion
The results indicate that Beyhaqi’s narration of Hasanak’s execution fully embodies the essential features of narrativity from Herman’s perspective and represents a rare example of literary narration within Persian historical prose. By uniting the roles of historian, storyteller, and moral observer, Beyhaqi transforms a factual event into a multilayered narrative in which the distinction between historical reality and interpretive imagination is blurred. His prose, marked by linguistic precision, dramatic structure, and psychological depth, elevates historical writing to the status of literature.
In Beyhaqi’s narrative, history is not a neutral record of events but a process of meaning-making through language. By merging documentary authenticity with literary expression, he creates a form of “narrative rewriting of truth,” where time, language, and character become instruments of human understanding. Therefore, The History of Beyhaqi can be regarded not merely as a historical chronicle but as a philosophical and literary work in which narration itself becomes a mode of thinking about history.